WIN Series Presents Women of ESPN - Jamie Little

Fearless and Confident

Jamie Little

I had the pleasure of speaking to Jamie Little via Skype, and I have to say that I was extremely impressed by her.

Born and raised by a hardworking single mother, Jamie was raised with a sense of strength and self-confidence. Jamie is definitely her mother’s daughter.

Her mother began as a seamstress and did very well for Jamie and herself. Over a period of time, and by breaking down walls, she became a lead dancer in a show. From her mother, Jamie learned that limitations are things we put on ourselves and that she could do anything she put her mind to. She learned these important life lessons very early.

Jamie remembers watching intently from above Harrah’s showroom as her mother, who was the star, would dance. Jamie would watch her mother in amazement, as she performed. The audience was full, applauding after each number, for her mother. When she speaks of her mother, you can hear the respect and admiration she feels for her. In Jamie’s eyes, her mother was and still is her hero.

Over a 20-minute period, I spoke with Jamie about her life, her passions and her career. After you read this interview, I know you too will be impressed by her. She is beautiful, intelligent and extreme in all that she does.


Career and education
Jamie Little was born South Lake Tahoe, Nev., in April 1978 and lived there with mom until she was 13 years old. It was then for a job opportunity (for mom) that they moved to Las Vegas. She graduated from Green Valley High in Henderson, Nev., in 1996. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from San Diego State University in December 2001.

Jamie on far right, with mom and sister in Hawaii

Jamie has been a sports reporter/journalist for ESPN and ABC since 1998, reporting at many events. In 2000, Jamie made her broadcasting debut as a reporter on NBC’s "The Gravity Games." In 2002-2003 she was employed by the SPEED Channel, covering various sporting events and championship series such as Offshore Boat Racing, Karts and Supercross. She also worked as a sideline reporter for TNT in 2002 for Slamball.

Jamie has a passion for extreme sports, which began when she was 13 years old. She became interested in dirt biking through a friend and hasn’t stopped since. Taking part in many types of extreme sports, the idea of being a sports correspondent seemed to be the natural progression of things.

Fearless in her drive to succeed, she hasn’t allowed others to place "limits" on her, nor has her mother. From riding dirt bikes to driving racecars, from boxing to working out, Jamie loves to be physically active.


A Chat with ESPN’s Jamie Little:


You dreamed of being a star at age 7. What inspired that confidence?
“I think it was being raised by a single mom who didn’t let anything stop her. She made everything happen and raised me as such a strong woman. She was a working woman and she was a showgirl. Dancing in the Cabaret shows in Lake Tahoe, she was a star in her own right. She got it on her own. She wasn’t a dancer her whole life, she had to learn to do it. She became a dancer when I was 6 years old.

When I was in second grade at parent-teacher night and we had drawn pictures of what we wanted to do when we grew up, I drew a picture of being a showgirl and I said when I grow up I want to be a star. My mom about died. Of course all the other kids wanted to be fireman and policeman and here’s me being this showgirl on a stage. It all started then. She didn’t realize with me being so young what a big impression she was making on me. I knew then I wanted to be in the lights. It's ironic how I found my way into the business. My real father was a drummer and has been all of his life. So I found my way there as well, just on a different path.”

Was your mom your inspiration growing up?

Jamie with Mom, Laura Thomas

“Absolutely. She is still my number 1 hero and my number 1 fan to this day. She is my ultimate, she is my everything.”

You have a love for extreme sports from what I’ve read. Is that putting it mildly?

"Yes I’ve definitely loved action sports. I think I was 18 when the first X-Games happened. From there it just grew. I just loved the sports. My first network job was for NBC in 2000 covering as a co-host for NBC’s version of the X-Games. I was already dabbling in TV but that was a big deal for me. I was 23 at the time and I got to be on network TV. That’s really when I got to know everything about action sports. In 2002 I went to Rich Feinberg at ESPN, who is my current boss now, and tried to sell myself to him for 20 minutes. He knew who I was from racing and the things I’ve done up to then. I just told him ‘I know action sports, I promise I won’t let you down. I really want to be a part of the ESPN. Just give me a shot with the X-Games. He finally gave in and alright, we’ll give you a shot. We’ll put with the Summer X-Games and see how you do. That was 2002 and the rest is history.”

After winning a race in 2008

You don’t just report on them, you actually participate in them, right?
“Yes I definitely participate (laughs) in my fair share. That’s for sure. I’ve never raced Motocross professionally but I have raced mini-bike type races in front of people on little super tracks. I’ve gone skydiving, love dirt-bikes, I’m an adrenaline junkie. I absolutely love racing cars; if I wasn’t a reporter on it, I’d probably be a racecar driver. Actually I know I would be. I definitely have that bug for adrenaline. I think it shows in my work. I absolutely love it..”

What was your most memorable experience as far as a sports activity?

“I’d have to say it was probably back in 2007 when I went skydiving, my first year covering NASCAR. I wanted to do a feature with Bryan Vickers. He was going skydiving with the Red Bull Flight Crew, I think that’s what they call them. Of course through action sports I got to know alot of them. They are all so great and so crazy. So I thought, let's do it! So I went along, we brought the camera crew to Florida, right before the Daytona race. I went up there with Bryan Vickers and I tandem jumped and he went solo. We had only been in the training that morning, and we went out and did it. He knocked my socks off! It was scary enough going tandem, but him going solo … man it was just an awesome experience.”

How did your mom feel about having a "fearless" daughter?

"I stressed her out (laughs) her whole life. It's really funny because my mom is this girly girl and I have always been this tomboy. I remember one day when she came home from work. I was 14 and had gone to my first Supercross race with a bunch of my guy friends and got the autographs of all the riders. It was my first time meeting Jeremy McGrath. I just thought it was the coolest thing. When I got home, I took down all my horse posters and put up all my Motocross posters to the ceiling and my mom came home and just about died. “She said, “What the heck is this?” She couldn’t understand how I could love such a boy sport. But now she gets it. She understands that I love it and it's paid off.”

Is your job with ESPN a dream job or would that be driving?
“I’m doing my dream job. This career will last a lot longer than if I raced and I can make more money NOT racing as I'm not good enough."

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a sports journalist?

“I’d absolutely say go for it! Don’t let anyone or thing stop you. Don’t accept any excuses such as "that’s what men do" or "it's too hard and too physical" out there in the world covering sports. If you love it, go for it! I do always tell the young women who ask that they need to find a sport that they are passionate about. I don’t care if it's snowboarding, or Motocross, or if it's NASCAR. Find one that you really love and go from there. Just study your butt off. Go to school and get your degrees in journalism, not broadcasting. You need to learn how to speak and write in order to be good on TV. If you love it and are passionate about it, it doesn’t seem like that much work. It's so much fun climbing the ranks and paying your dues isn’t as bad as it could be if you get stuck doing a sport your not passionate about.”

Have you interviewed any legends, anyone who stands out?
“Absolutely, Parnelli Jones. I got to interview him at my first Indy 500. I actually got him to cry. That was pretty amazing. His son PJ was making his first start in the 500. It was also my first time interviewing AJ Foyt. That man is the biggest legend that is living right now in racing, in my opinion. I’ve interviewed him many times over my years as a sportscaster covering the Indy cars. Honestly, everytime I interview Jeff Gordon, I know I’m interviewing a legend. One day I’m gonna look back and know that I was there when Jeff was still very competitive.”

Jamie with Kyle Busch in 2008

What is your opinion on NASCARS ‘have at it boys’ policy?
I think it's great! The way I see it is that drivers at this level in NASCAR, whether it's trucks, NNS, or the Sprint Cup Series, they’re the best in the world. These guys aren’t stupid. They know how to police themselves. If they have an issue with one another, the know they’ve got to settle it. They are at the racetrack together four days a week all year long. They can’t escape one another. I think they are very capable of policing themselves. Dealing with an issue on the track or off, and I commend NASCAR for letting them do that. I think it's smarter and I think it makes the racing more exciting. We’re seeing more skuttlebutts on the track and more bumping and banging. It's more fun. It's a great idea and there is nothing wrong with it. I don’t like when sanctioning bodies try to tell their drivers or riders how to compete with one another. I don’t like that at all. I think "boys have it" is what the sport was founded on and that’s how it should be.”

Do you see anyone blowing #48 out of the #1 position?

“I think the drivers are a lot more equal this year. The competition level is the best I’ve seen it at right now. The #48 isn’t dominating like they were. There have been races where Chad Knaus really thinks they have the car to win and all the sudden the door gets closed on them. This is something they haven’t felt in the last few seasons. So there are a lot more drivers to watch for. As far as a favorite … get that a lot. I don’t necessarily have a favorite driver. But when it comes to being a reporter on the sport, there are drivers that make our lives easier and make it more enjoyable for the fans watching. Carl Edwards is one of those guys. He’s always accessible. Whether he's upset, or something bad just happened, he always makes himself available to talk about it. He’s always a gentlemen. He’s always our in-race reporter when we’ve asked. Now he’s even an analyst for us on Sports Center. He makes our job easier and he gives great content. Juan Pablo Montoya is a more challenging one as is Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. They make it much more challenging. They make us work very hard and choose our words wisely, choose our timing wisely. Good or bad, they give us content. They are extra challenging, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Interview with Carl Edwards following Dover Race on Sept. 26th, second race of the 2010 Chase

Anyone you see as far as women coming up into Cup?

“Obviously Danica. She’s got the best chance of any woman out there right now. That’s for multiple reasons. We’ve had four women in the IndyCar series, and there is a lot of potential over there. I love how they’ve been open … the sanctioning bodies, the team owners. That’s key. That’s how Danica has gotten where she is. Because Bobby Rahal took a chance with her. He put her in great equipment and gave her a shot. That’s what we need the owners to do on the Cup side and the NNS. My hats off to Dale Jr. and his sister for giving Danica a shot. Yeah, she brought great money and sponsors, but so do a lot of other drivers. They are giving her a chance because they know she is talented. They are willing to give her the time that it will take to adjust to that level of racing. So there are a lot of women out there. I’m great friends with Lyn St. James and I co-host her racing luncheon every year. We see so many girls and women coming up through the ranks that are just awesome. In the late model series right now, the NASCAR East or West Series, women are doing great. I think in the next few years we’re going to see more women trying to qualify for races. Even contending.”

Do you consider yourself a “Foodie”? (reference to her being on Iron Chef America)

“That’s funny that you say that. I am a foodie, a little bit. I love to cook. My mom’s a great cook. I call her a gourmet chef. I’ve learned through her. I love to cook and the opportunity arose through them coming and requesting personalities from ESPN. ESPN suggested me and I loved the opportunity. It was so much fun and I learned a lot. Just being able to do something outside the world of racing to show fans and other people who might not know about racing. It introduces them to it and maybe makes them want to watch it. I also got to do "Hell's Kitchen." It was very interesting and very different from "Iron Chef." We were just patrons of the restaurant. We sat right next to the kitchen so we could hear Chef Ramsey yelling and see him running around the kitchen with his pencil behind his ear. Screaming at the chefs and we were just cracking up. The food was good and it was fun. That was actually thanks to Bryan Vickers. He got the deal and invited a bunch of friends. I took my fiance and a group of people from racing were at the table and we had such a great time.”

What do you do to unwind, if you ever do?
“I do unwind. I love to ride my jetski. I take my boat out and ride the wake board. I work out and love to do Yoga. Love to travel even though that's my job. I spend a lot of time with family when I can. I go back to Vegas. I love to spend time with my fiance and my new puppy now."



New Puppy? What do you have?
“We rescued a Boston terrier. His name is Ike.”



Speaking of you and your fiance, have you set a date?
“Yes were getting married on Dec. 11 in Torrey Pines, San Diego.”

Jamie with fiance, Client Manager, Cody Selman

Do you find yourself running from the garages with the baby boom?

“We were standing on pit road at Pocono speaking to Matt Kenseth and his wife Katie walked up with their baby and I’m talking to them, playing with the baby. Then up walks Jamie McMurray and his wife with her baby bump and then her comes Krissie Newman with her baby bump ... I’m just like “Oh my gosh.” Don’t drink the water. It's really cute though. I love talking to these fathers, especially the first-time dads. They are so cute about it. Jimmie Johnson, for instance. I saw him at Indy, the first time I’d seen him since the baby was born. He’s in his car ready to pull out to the first practice session. He calls me over to the window and he said, "My baby is the coolest thing. I have a camera set up and I can see her on my phone anytime I want. I would tell Chad to bring my phone right now. I will show you after practice." He was just so thrilled to talk about it."

Jamie continued, “I talked to Ryan Newman and said what’s this with the babies, you too? Is it in the water?" He replied, "It's too many rain delays."

“Kissin’ the Bricks”

Photos furnished by ESPN and Jamie Little and are not for duplication. Skirts and Scuffs and Lindi Bess have expressed consent for use.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of the site or its administrators.

I’d like to thank Jamie Little for opening up to me and allowing the followers of Skirts and Scuffs into her life.

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WIN Series presents The Women of ESPN - Shannon Spake

I recently had the opportunity to speak with The Women of ESPN. These three ladies are regulars on ESPN’s coverage of The NASCAR Sprint and Nationwide racing series. It was a great experience interviewing them via SKYPE and I want to share with you their passions, opinions and goals for the future. I hope you enjoy getting to know them as I have.

First I want to apologize for the delay in getting these interviews to you. I won’t bore you with all the grueling details. Lets just say that I ran into several ‘technical issues' that seemed to happen one at a time. I do want to thank my tech guru for his diligence in extracting the audio portions of the interviews. He worked on this process for quite some time and its only from this that I am able to bring these interviews to you.

So here you are

The Women of ESPN

Jamie Little, Nicole Briscoe, Shannon Spake

Let’s begin with Shannon Spake;

“The only person that can stop me, is ME”

Shannon Spake was born July 23rd, 1976. She grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida after moving there with her family when she was 3 years old. Her father, Southwest Captain Don Speacht, was a pilot for Air Florida. Shannon and her father were close, sharing a common interest in sports. Growing up in Florida where football was sport of choice, Shannon and her father often attended High School games cheering on such players as the three-time Super Bowl Champ Michael Irvin. Irvin went on to play for such teams as Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Shannon graduated from Piper High School and went on to Florida Atlantic University in Boca where she received her BA in Communications. Shannon worked for the Neil Rogers Show on WQAM in South Florida while in college. After graduating, she literally packed up a U-Haul and moved on to New York City.

While working in New York her family relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. Her time with NASCAR revved up with a year at the SPEED Channel. She worked as a reporter for a NASCAR Nation’s first version and then co-hosted during the second. Shannon also spent time co-hosting with online columnist Marty Smith on Back Seat Drivers, a motorsports talk show.

From 2000-01 she covered everything from the presidential election to the 9/11 tragedy. Worked as an assistant coordinator for the Kids Television Network, Nickelodeon and MTV. She also spent 2 years at CBS as an associate producer of The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel. Her broadcast career took a big jump during this time when Shannon was given the opportunity to work with HBO. For 6 months, Shannon worked on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.

After her HBO commitment ended, Shannon packed her bags and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to her family. She began work with a local FOX affiliate and worked her way up to covering the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. From there she moved to SPEED and then was picked up by ESPN.

What were your career aspirations?

'”I always loved sports. My dad use to take me to high football games in the area. Michael Irving used to play in that area as well as the Blades brothers played at my high school. I was an athlete myself. I was a competitive swimmer. So I was always very into sports. TV was never something I thought about until we had one of the local anchors from the FOX affiliate down in Ft. Lauderdale. He came and visited our school. We did a tour of the the FOX facility. That's when I first became interested in doing television. We also had a family friend, Ralph Renick, he was an anchor with CBS in Miami. He was there forever. One of the real legends of the business. So I was always exposed to it in that way.

Ralph Renick

But it wasn't until I moved to New York that I got my first job in television. Its when I really understood the diversity you get to experience when you work in television. In that you don't have the same day twice. You walk into work one day, dealing with one situation and then the next day something totally different. I loved that diversity."


Who inspired you most as a young woman?
"Because I was a swimmer, I looked up to Summer Sanders when I was younger. But when I moved to New York and began working in television I had the opportunity to work with Bryant Gumbel. I loved his professionalism. I found it so amazing to work with someone who was at the top of their game and despite that gave 110% every single time he came into work. I feel very fortunate I had that opportunity. He is definitely one of the people I've really looked up to."

Bryant Gumbel

Would you consider ESPN your dream job?
"Yes, I remember when I went in for the interview at ESPN. I just kept pinching myself, telling myself, 'You're suppose to be here, you're suppose to be here'. The amount of resources that ESPN has, all the different things I am able to do. Obviously now I am 100% dedicated to racing but I'm not only pit reporting, I'm working on the studio side. Just to be able to do all of these things and be exposed to these different roles is such an amazing opportunity for someone in this business. I go to work and can be on Pit Road, and then I can be doing something for Sports Center, and the next hosting a show. Like I said before, the diversity is something I've always thrived on, moving forward. I have the dream job definitely. I pinch myself when I go to work every weekend. I absolutely love working for ESPN."


Were you interested in NASCAR prior to or did it come after your work as a sportscaster?
"Living in Ft. Lauderdale, college football was BIG. NFL was BIG. Racing wasn't really a part of my life when I was growing up. Aside from watching races on TV, but it wasn't in my backyard. I didn't live in Charlotte, N.C. when I was growing up or areas that had a lot of short tracks. It wasn't until I moved to Charlotte, after spending 3 yrs in New York City, that I really started to fall in love with the sport. When I first moved here I had the opportunity to meet a lot of PR people. My first job in Charlotte was doing some things with Jack Roush. He had this event called The GREAT RACE. It was a rally race, going from one city to the next. That’s when I started to fall in love with the sport. That was in 2004. I feel like it was just yesterday.

Jack Roush

I love that with this job I am constantly moving. As long as the season may seem when we get to October or November, I love the fact that its constant. Your constantly doing something with the sport. I also have fallen in love with the fact that its such a family unit. Not only the folks at ESPN, but the whole industry. You go to work with the same people every single week and even though its this huge national sport it really does have a family feel. I love that!"

Shannon was married to land developer Jerry McSorley in a ceremony in April 14th, 2008. They were married at a Gothic manor in Ireland. Shannon and Jerry were introduced (fixed up) after Shannon arrived in North Carolina, by her sister on a Valentine’s Day blind date.

What are your goals at this point?
"I'd really like to do some more hosting. I love what I'm doing right now. Let me just say that. To me, I was always the type of person who was always looking ahead. A couple of years ago someone ask me what my goal was. For the first time I stopped and thought about it. I realized that I hadn't started to looked ahead because I am so happy doing what I've been doing. ESPN has given me the opportunity to host more with NASCAR Now. This year I've hosted 15-20 times. As far as my goals now, I feel like I'm kinda livin' the dream. I just had some babies. I had twin boys in January. So I have my dream job, my family has really come together in that I have 2 children now. 7 months old and happy and healthy. I'm pretty happy with where I am right now. "


How have the boys changed your life?
"First of all, my life is nothing like it used to be. I don't even remember the Shannon that was then. I've learned a lot more patience. I've gained a lot more perspective on the big picture. I think it makes me enjoy my job even more because I realize the big picture is my children and my family and I have this great job. I don't obsess about certain things anymore because I know what the big picture is, and that’s my kids."




I have a twitter follower, who wants to know how you do it. How do you juggle your time? How do you make it work? Whats your secret?
"Everything has got to be on a schedule. I'm really really organized with my life and everything must be on a schedule. I also have an amazing husband who helps out as well. Its funny, I send out emails to family who live in the area that come over to help us every once in awhile. I'm working two to three months out. So I'm like 'In November can you come over and help us out' and they write back and say that it's months out. But that's how I have to do it. I have to plan it out and be on a strict schedule. The boys are on a schedule. I do take them off every now and again if we want to go out to lunch but we've tried very hard to maintain a schedule. Like I said, my husband is AMAZING!"




What are your thoughts or opinions on NASCAR’S "Have at it Boys" Policy? Does it need to be defined more? Is it as it should be?
"I love it! I think we've seen some great racing this season. The controversy we see on the racetrack is what fans want to see. They want to see hard racing and that includes these guys going at it. I think that there are probably the lines are set. NASCAR has set them with the drivers. We may not know exactly where those lines are. As the drivers push the limits, we are starting to find out where those lines are. Every time we have conversations with NASCAR they say these guys are professional drivers. They know what they are doing out there. They know when they cross the line. and when they don't. I think its been great! Allow these guys to have a little bit more freedom. It makes for great storylines we love to follow every weekend. Like with the Nationwide series last year. We saw all kinds of drama with Keslowski and Denny Hamlin. I just think it makes for great racing. It makes it really exciting when these guys get out on the racetrack and have a little fun. They gotta be having fun with each other. Nationwide drivers say they have a lot more fun than when they drive on the cup side.”




Without picking favorites, who do you see in contention for the Championship?
“I think coming into the season everybody thought there was no way that anyone could take down Jimmie Johnson. He’s the man, because of how strong he’s been over the last four seasons. I think at this point, its so interesting because really there are so many teams out there that are strong every week and the 48 hasn’t been the dominate car it has in the past. HOWEVER, we have also seen the last 4 years that that 48 car comes alive in the last 10 races. They know how to plan for it and they’ve really figured it out. I also think the 29 car has been hugely consistent and that is what you need in the Chase. You need to be consistent. Its all about 10 races. But I think the 29 with all we’ve seen this year, I think they can be really good when they start with the Chase.”


Have you had any memorable interviews? Any of the legends?
“To me, every single weekend when I get out there. But when we get the chance to get in the back of the truck for the ride arounds after they get introduced. I remember one time, I think it was my first year. I was in the back of the truck with Dale Earnhardt Jr. I remember thinking the fans must think I’m really living the dream right now. They would probably give anything right now to be in my position.

But, I think personally that one of my favorite interviews, which wasn’t even a real interview. It was with Dale Inman, Richard Petty’s former crew chief. I had the opportunity to go out there to Richard Petty’s, and Dale came in. He stood there and talked to me for over an hour. I just got to hear all of these awesome stories about the old times. Just racing and some of the things they did. Driving across country to race, then driving back in the same car and having it break down. Of course they didn’t have cell phones so they had to write letters to their families to let them know when they were gonna be back in town. Stuff like that you can only read about, but to be able to sit there with a legend, Dale Inman, one of the nicest guys in the garage and hear first hand. I just thought it was the coolest thing. That guy is just one of the greatest guys. Every time I see him in the garage he is the sweetest guys. He would always stop and take the time to chat with you. Its so cool to be able to know him, walking around the garage and talking at any given moment. He’s one of my favorites.”

Dale Inman

Do you think we are gonna see the continual rise in the amount of female drivers? When will we see them in cup?
"I do. Nascar is really strong in its diversity right now. When you go to the short tracks on the weekends, you see women out there. You see girls out there and they are just trying to get it done. It wasn’t like that ten years ago. My dad’s an airline pilot for example. Now you get into an airplane, and you hear women pilots on the intercom and airwaves all the time. When I first started flying twenty years ago, you never heard women pilots. So I definitely think as women realize ‘Hey this is something that I can do. No one says I can’t. The only person that can stop me, is ME’. Danica Patrick has been huge in bringing that exposure to the sport. I definitely think it is only a matter of time before we start to see more and more women coming up through the ranks. Chrissy Wallace who is trying to get it done in trucks right now. In another 5 years we’re gonna see women in the cup field.”

Chrissy Wallace

Do you have any advice for women aspiring to be sports journalists? Anything you feel would be beneficial for them to know? What worked for you?
Work hard and learn everything. When I was coming into television, I learned how to to write, how to hold a camera, how to edit. I learned how to do everything. That makes you alot more valuable than any one else out there. I don’t thinks its just women, its anyone who really wants to get into the business. ‘The only person that can stop me is me’.” If I wanna do something, I’m gonna do it. It does take alot of hard work.”


Do you have a theory behind the Baby Boom in NASCAR?
“I don’t know because I was the first one. I had the babies in January 2010. Carl came after mine, then Elliott came after mine and everybody else. I just think that all the drivers right now are at that age. Wendy Venturini, myself, we’re all at that age where we’re starting to have families. Everyone is in their early to mid 30’s. That’s the time people start to do it. I saw on Twitter one time, someone had tweeted that we started a field, and its gonna be strong one. I just think its cool to walk around the garage. Two years ago I would’ve had completely different conversations with the drivers. Now we talk about the kids, we talk about the pregnancy. I think its really cool.”



Who wears the firesuit in your family?
“Depends on what day it is. It really does. My husband and I have such a great thing because we really are 50/50. Sometimes I’m the one who’s in charge and there are other times when he is. I think that balance is really important. Especially when I travel every weekend. He’s very supportive. I don’t know a lot of husbands that would be okay with their wives traveling 4 days a week and then coming home. He’s great.”

Shannon wearing her Expandable firesuit made especially for her by ESPN.

I saw a recent tweet of yours. “I’m gonna be landing soon. Gonna run home and kiss the babies and the husband and go spend some time with the girls.”
“I think its really important. I don’t have a lot of time for friends right now. I try to maybe on Sundays if I get home in time, to go out to lunch. I spend most of the week with my husband and the kids. Then travel on the weekends. I think every once in awhile you need to get away. Even if its just having coffee with girlfriends. Most of the time I do bring my babies with me. They’re like my little dates everywhere I go.”

Thank you to ESPN’s Shannon Spake for taking the time to talk to me and to Andy Hall, Manager, Media Relations.

You can follow Shannon on Twitter:

SSpakeESPN

Photos furnished by ESPN and are not for duplication. Skirts and Scuffs and Lindi Bess have expressed consent for use.


I hope you all enjoyed getting to know her a little better. Next week I’ll be back with an interview from ESPN’s own Jamie Little.

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